Tips to Make Those Trips to the Basement a little less Scary

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A few weeks ago it was severe weather awareness week.  This week, I took the Weather Spotter class.  I needed a refresher on the clouds and other signs of an impending storm.  There are a few to pay attention to: 

• Wall cloud (can produce the funnel cloud – watch for debris on the ground and vertical rotation)
• Shelf cloud (can produce the funnel cloud – watch for debris on the ground and vertical rotation) Will produce heavy rain and strong winds.  Can do significant damage all on its own, without the power of the tornado within it.
• Funnel Cloud (Hello Tornado!)
• Downburst/Microburst
• Scud Cloud 

Don’t get confused by scud clouds. Those are fakers. They don’t have debris on the ground. It can look like it on hilly terrains. Some of us got some impressive hail storms a few weeks ago. It was the 3/4” hail so not big enough to fire off a warning, but it broke my storm window In my living room and did some damage to my Mom-Mobile. (Between deer and hail, this has not been a good few months for my truck, but great for my body shop.)

I’ve been caught off-guard by enough storms to know that it is important to get to the basement. I also know that it can be really difficult with some kids. Multiple phones alarming, the TV alerts and the weather radio, and I swear, they moved slower, if not halted altogether. So, this is what we do now. We do a lot more practicing. I do a lot more explaining. Explain the why’s in a way they can understand. I watch the weather in the morning and after school so they can see the map/predictions and if severe weather conditions are favorable, have them start planning. I have them pack their own “emergency kit”.

Kids’ Emergency Kit:

• Coloring books (and supplies)
• Clipboard or other table-like surface
• Music – I highly recommend this one through Amazon: Emergency Radio
• Battery pack – I like this one because it includes the cords already: Small Solar Charger
• Charger cables, etc.
• Emergency Lighting – I recommend and use a combination of the following items: Emergency Bulbs, Emergency Lantern, LED Light Switch
• Favorite comfort item.
• It’s also important for it to have snacks, drinks and medications if the next dose is due in the next few hours.

If you’re like me and don’t have a super–functional basement, Bring down some folding chairs and a make-shift potty. (a 5-gallon pail with liner with a marine toilet seat or pool noodle around the top works well.) You can even keep a roll of TP on the handle. Some baby wipes for additional clean-up would be good too. Keeping a weather radio handy is a good idea, but remember that a storm must be spotted or indicated first, so you might not get the warning if the storm starts by you. The weather radio will help to know when it’s passed by though. A regular battery operated radio can also be helpful. – This is the one that I use: Emergency Radio. I also set up a laptop as a TV. $80-$100 in accessories and I have a portable, battery-operated TV/DVD player. I simply bought an Xbox TV tuner (it was half the price of a computer TV tuner – the only difference is I don’t have a remote control.) Unfortunately, mine has been discontinued, but this is the most current and closest to the one I have- and you get the remote! Laptop TV Tuner. Mine came with an antenna, but it wasn’t strong enough for our area so I bought a decent, flat, indoor TV antenna. You can see what type of antenna you need to reach your local TV channels by using this FCC Guide and this map will show where the antennas are and this website will help you pick the right antenna. The over-the-air antenna works better in storms because it doesn’t require power or internet to work. Is it necessary, maybe not, but it is a comfort item that makes it easier for my kids to hang in the basement and it makes it easier for me to see what the storm is doing. We can see the map and radar, especially in the case of losing cell signal in the basement. And because the antenna is an indoor antenna, I don’t have to worry about a lightning strike taking out my antenna or laptop.

To end a few myths: how many of you were told not to take a shower or do dishes during a thunderstorm?  Turns out- that is not an old wive‘s tale.  Lightning is drawn to water so it is possible to get zapped in the shower.  

If you’re in a car, a tornado comes, and there is a highway overpass, should you wait it out under it?  Turns out Nope.  Stay out of there.  It turns into a wind-tunnel so the wind will actually be worse under the overpass.  If you are in a vehicle, and you are concerned that the tornado is headed in your direction (appears to get bigger), head South on the nearest road, and stay to the right of the storm.  In the event of a lightning strike, inside your car is safest, as long as it has a hard roof.  It will direct the electricity into the ground.  You do not want to be the tallest object in the event of a lightning strike.

If you need help creating a severe weather plan or to learn how to set up the weather alerts, you can see our Severe Weather Awareness Week article.

I also highly recommend putting a quarter on top of one spot in your ice cube tray. If it sinks to the bottom, you know that at some point, your freezer thawed enough to use caution. I also have a Freezer Alarm on mine.

Keep an eye on our calendar to take the Free Storm Spotter classes through the National Weather Service